Nunu! This is surprisingly... oh? You're coming at me like that?! Crap, is this bad? Like hell I'll let myself get beaten! W-What?! My technique isn't connecting?! To think this throw could be broken...!
"...sh... testant Aisha... report to the 190th... arena within 15... nutes... please..."
Aaargh! I'm gonna get wiped out! Dammit, my only hope for a comeback is gambling on a super special move! Here goes!
"Contestant Ai... sha. Please come to the 190th-floor arena within... minutes."
Geez, that announcement has been annoying me for a while now! I can't concentrate on my game! Ah?! The enemy's super combo hit me! YOU LOSE... I lost...
Man, and after I finally made it all the way to the final boss! That stupid broadcast ruined my focus. What on earth was that even about?
"Due to contestant Aisha's failure to appear, contestant Gomez wins by default."
...Aaargh! Crap! I completely forgot about the match!
I-I lost by default... Dammit, this is all this JoyStation's fault! It's been so long since I played video games that my old gamer blood boiled up and I got completely sucked in...
Man, now that I finally have access to video games again, to lose myself and get this obsessed... How embarrassing. I've gotta be more careful next time...
The Path to Heavens Arena
After leaving Meteor City, I barely managed to get by working day-labor jobs to feed myself. Fortunately, perhaps thanks to my mother's breast milk, my growth had been astonishingly rapid. Even though my chronological age was around ten, physically I looked about sixteen to eighteen, which allowed me to fudge my age and find work.
However, that wasn't sustainable long-term. Honest above-board work is harsh on people without identification. Landing a proper, respectable job was nearly impossible. Underground work might have been fine, but I really didn't want to get tangled up with that side of society...
If I had zero skills or talents, I might have had no choice, but luckily, I had one outstanding forte: Martial arts.
And so, I came to Heavens Arena. My reasons for coming were quite simple: to earn money and to train. As for making money, that goes without saying. You need cash to survive. For anyone with a decent level of skill, this place is an absolute goldmine. That's why Heavens Arena was the obvious choice. If you shuttle back and forth below the 190th floor, you can easily rack up hundreds of millions of Jenny.
As for training, you might wonder: Haven't you trained enough already? In truth, not really. ...I am definitively weaker than I was in my past life as Ryusho Kazama.
In terms of pure physical capability, my current self is already superior. I'm only eleven years old, yet I possess physical attributes far exceeding the peak conditioning I ever achieved in my previous life. This is likely because in my past life, I had a normal body from my original world, whereas in this life, being reborn here granted me a native body of this world. My growth rate has been ridiculously abnormal, resulting in muscular power that completely ignores normal human limits and physical thresholds. Spec-wise, my current body is overwhelmingly stronger.
On top of that, my aura capacity is also vastly superior. From the moment I was born, my aura had already surpassed my previous life's peak, and over these past eleven years, it has expanded even further. I did practice Ken training, of course, but the biggest factor might still be my mother's milk... Every time I drank it, I felt like my latent aura increased a little bit.
Regardless, if my past self as Ryusho were to fight my current self, Ryusho would probably win. The reason lies in the disconnect between my technique and my physical body. The techniques I possess are the crystallized results of nearly ninety years of relentless dedication. They are movements honed through endless repetition, etched into the optimal mechanics of my past body.
They are not optimized for my current body. As a result, my execution feels clunky and lacks that seamless, second-nature fluidity I once had. It's as though my body and my martial arts are actively quarreling. Besides, since being reincarnated, I haven't had a single sparring partner to practice with. I'm hopelessly rusty. It's not like I could use my mother as a sparring dummy.
Strategic Objectives
I'm currently using my fights here at Heavens Arena to recalibrate and adapt my past-life techniques to fit my new physique. The biggest issue, however, is the disparity in my mental state. In my past life, Ryusho's mind had attained a level of serenity comparable to a tranquil plant. But my current mindset is that of an ordinary girl... well, maybe not completely ordinary, but certainly nowhere near the transcendent realm I once occupied as Ryusho.
What should I do after this, though?
I'd love to get my hands on Greed Island (I looked it up online), but the asking price is way beyond my current budget. I really want one, but some ultra-rich guy named Battera has been buying up every copy. Whenever one pops up on the black market, he instantly snatches it with top-dollar bids... Curse you, Battera!
Maybe I should take the Hunter Exam? I don't care much about being a Hunter itself, but a Hunter License would be extremely useful right now. Just having one serves as the ultimate identification card, and it would definitely aid in uncovering information about Greed Island. Today is February 27, 1997, so if I take it, it'll probably be next year's exam.
Come to think of it, wasn't there something significant happening in the 1999 exam, the year after next? If the future is nagging at me, it's probably because of that knowledge. To put it bluntly, that was supposed to be when the original canon began...
Ability Development: Angel's Veil
Actually, I already created a Nen ability before arriving here. Its aura consumption is atrociously terrible... but it's remarkably convenient for everyday life.
[Angel's Veil]
Category: Specialization
Description
A Nen ability that cloaks the user's aura, masking its true nature and potency to make it appear like ordinary, unrefined aura leaking from an amateur. To any observing Nen user, it looks like a completely untrained person casually bleeding aura. Can be toggled ON and OFF.
〈Conditions & Limitations〉
While this ability is active, maintaining standard Ten consumes aura at the rate of normal Ren.When utilizing any Nen technique while this ability is active, the aura required to perform that technique is multiplied tenfold.Aura that is detached from the user's body is unaffected by this ability.
Initially, I only intended to mask the texture and quality of my aura, but as I refined the concept, it turned into an absurdly deceptive technique. When this ability is active, even if I use Ken, Gyo, or Ko, opponents show zero reaction. Even seasoned Nen users fail to realize I'm using Nen at all.
The drawback, however, is equally severe. An average Nen user would collapse within an hour just by maintaining Ten under this ability. Even with my colossal aura pool, maintaining active Ren with this ability active caps my endurance at around six hours.
Ability Development: Boss Trait
Two weeks after arriving at Heavens Arena, my new Nen ability was complete. What I focused on was how to minimize danger to myself—not by fleeing from fights, but by reducing lethal risks during combat.
[Boss Trait]
Category: Specialization
Description
A Nen ability that nullifies all status abnormalities, debuffs, and special secondary effects inflicted on the user through external Nen. Does not nullify the user's own Nen. This ability is perpetually active (passive).
〈Conditions & Limitations〉
Every time an effect is nullified, aura is consumed. The amount consumed equals the aura infused into the incoming technique multiplied by n (where n scales higher the more potent and restrictive the incoming Nen effect is).Cannot nullify special effects caused by post-mortem Nen (Nen that intensifies after death).The user cannot consciously choose which effects to nullify (it will also automatically nullify beneficial Nen, such as external healing abilities).
〈Vows & Pledges〉
If the user's aura is completely depleted by this ability, the user immediately loses consciousness and is forced into a 30-day Zetsu state. During this 30-day period, [Boss Trait] is disabled.
With this, bizarre, hax Nen effects are no longer terrifying! Raw physical and kinetic damage dealt via Nen still hits me normally... You can't make an ability too convenient, after all.
The 200th Floor Encounter
I am currently fleeing from Heavens Arena at top speed...
After reaching the 190th floor several times, management finally slapped me with a stern warning about match-fixing. I decided to just win the next match and advance to the 200th floor. I've saved plenty of money, and sparring against actual Nen users sounded like great practice. With that in mind, I won my match—only to encounter an utter freak on the 200th floor.
A clown... A bizarre clown radiating an extraordinarily unpleasant aura was standing right there.
"Hehehe, welcome to the 200th floor ♥"
"...Can I help you? If you don't have any business, would you mind moving? I need to register."
"Hmm, I'd love to let you through, but isn't this a little too early for you? You can't even see what's beside me, can you? ♠"
...A skull constructed out of Nen. From what I can tell, he's a formidable master. If I fought him right now, a brutal struggle would be unavoidable...
"What are you talking about?"
I decided to back off. More than winning, losing, or fighting, I simply did not want to be anywhere near this guy.
"You look delicious right now, but in the future, you'll ripen into something even more exquisite. It would be such a waste if you were broken here ♦"
"I refuse with every fiber of my being!!"
I bolted from the 200th floor like a startled rabbit! I have zero desire to ever go back. What on earth was with that perverted clown...?! Farewell, Heavens Arena!!
Epilogue: The Clown's Perspective
"Contestant Aisha! With a single magnificent throw, she scores a Critical Hit! Reaching a total of 11 points, she breaks through the 190th floor!!"
Hmm. So she climbed all the way up... ♥
When I first noticed her, she was intentionally losing to bounce between the 180th and 190th floors, so I didn't pay it much mind. But coming up to the 200th floor is a different story ♣. No matter how physically strong a beginner is, fighting up here will only leave them shattered ♠. It's a precious fruit with the potential to ripen so beautifully. I must savor it once it has properly matured ♦.
"Hehehe, welcome to the 200th floor ♥"
Here she comes. Hehehe, seeing her up close... my, how utterly delicious she looks... ♦
"...Can I help you? If you don't have any business, would you mind moving? I need to register."
"Hmm, I'd love to let you through, but isn't this a little too early for you? You can't even see what's beside me, can you? ♠"
I transmute my aura into the shape of a skull. Her aura is continuously bleeding out in an unrefined state. She shouldn't be an awakened Nen user ♣.
"What are you talking about?"
Just as expected, she cannot use Nen. In that case, this natural flow of aura must be raw, unpolished talent. How captivating... ♥
"You look delicious right now, but in the future, you'll ripen into something even more exquisite. It would be such a waste if you were broken here ♦"
"If you'd like, I could even raise and nurture you myself..."
"I refuse with every fiber of my being!!"
"And away she runs... Looks like I let a bit too much Nen slip out ♠."
Oh well. We'll cross paths again eventually. When that time comes, I look forward to seeing how exquisitely she has matured ♣.
Still... despite her aura leaking, the flow of her aura remained completely undisturbed throughout our exchange. Could it be that she actually can use Nen? If so, what a tantalizing prospect... ♥